![]() And the definition we use is systems change is about shifting the conditions holding a problem in place.ĭenver: Ooh, I like that. It comes from the social innovation generation. And so, the definition that we use at the Collective Change Lab is a much simpler one. There are a couple that I like in particular.Ī definition put forward by Catalyst 2030 is to address root causes rather than symptoms by altering, shifting and transforming structures, customs, mindsets, power dynamics and rules across a diverse set of actors, with the intent of achieving a lasting improvement of a societal issue. It is a term that gets tossed around a lot, and it’s often very academic and complex. I’ll offer a couple of different definitions. Everybody has a different definition of systems change. Our mission is to catalyze dialogue on how large-scale social change or systems change happens, and we also work directly with collectives and networks of social change leaders to build their capacity for doing the work of systems change.ĭenver: You mentioned systems change. ![]() So, we support people, organizations, communities, and collectives in catalyzing systems change. Tell us about Collective Change Lab and of its mission. The residents of California might want to pay closer attention.Denver: Great to have you here. ![]() If past is prologue, it’s important to ask whether they’re up to the task. While fixing today’s problems, PG&E and others will have to fix tomorrow’s - most foreseeably the challenge of keeping rates low enough to avoid a public backlash. This is true of the energy grid we have today, but especially urgent as the clean-energy transition accelerates (as often mandated by the government, which last week announced a full phaseout of gas-burning cars by 2035). The biggest utilities in California will have to figure a way to earn a return for shareholders without compromising safety and reliability. One big lesson learned: Because modern life is utterly dependent on massive inputs of electricity and other forms of energy, a laissez-faire market in large-scale power generation won’t work. “In doing so, they failed to recognize that a changing climate had made PG&E’s power lines an immediate threat to the state.” The state’s policymakers “treated the company as a tool in their quest to preempt the long-term effects of climate change with ambitious renewable energy mandates,” Blunt writes. The next two months will bring anxiety, but also a handful of books on the crisis of fire, ranging from history to journalism to children’s lit. Basic safety is not.īooks As another brutal fire season rages, 4 new books bring context and consolation The author makes a good case as to why: Green energy is glamorous. Lawmakers and regulators, laser-focused on an aggressive transformation to cleaner energy, gave climate-change mitigation - in this case, wildfire prevention - short shrift. Blunt paints a picture - while in no way downplaying the need to address climate change - of long-term thinking that was ironically, tragically, short-sighted. The mishandling of the climate crisis was only one of its disastrous effects, albeit a crucial one. California likes to paint itself as an innovative leader, but its late-’90s move toward electricity market deregulation was a disaster. The safety problem, Blunt makes clear, is systemic. PG&E, the giant utility that covers most of Northern California, takes center stage, but the supporting cast includes members of the state Legislature and the California Public Utilities Commission, which deserve more scrutiny than they’ve received for the roles they’ve played in PG&E’s conflagrations. Any detail necessary to understand the electric grid and how it works is woven seamlessly and clearly through the narrative. Its efforts include a massive expansion of tree-trimming to protect power lines, plans to bury hundreds of miles of transmission and distribution lines underground and quick power shutoffs on the most dangerous hot and windy days.īlunt’s book is not a technical tome but a drama, a human tragedy, loaded with fascinating characters and tales of death and destruction, incompetence and chicanery, malfeasance and greed. After decades of gross negligence, multiple wildfires, a neighborhood gas pipeline explosion, scores of guilty pleas to involuntary manslaughter and billions in property damage, the company appears at last to be taking safety seriously. How about you try not to burn my house down?” “We are delivering for our hometowns, serving our planet and leading with love,” I recited. When I read Pacific Gas and Electric’s mission statement aloud to my wife, her eyes narrowed. If you buy books linked on our site, The Times may earn a commission from, whose fees support independent bookstores. California Burning: The Fall of Pacific Gas and Electric - and What It Means for America's Power Grid ![]()
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